About Us +
Researchers in the Building Technology & Urban Systems Division (BTUS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory develop data and technologies that increase energy efficiency and improve the health, safety and comfort of building occupants, in the United States and worldwide.

We work closely with industry partners, academics and government officials to achieve these goals, and share our research widely
Research +
We are at the forefront of cutting-edge research that redefines building technology and explores all areas of urban systems.

We have been leaders for decades in developing energy-efficient windows, improving indoor air quality, coming up with new ideas to fix the nation's electricity grid, and so much more.

Visit our research areas at the right to find out more.
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Publications +
Enjoy presentations from Building Technology & Urban systems research experts on a wide variety of topics in the areas of building energy efficiency, the electricity grid and how it relates to buildings and much more.
- Presentations
News
Tools & Guides +
Explore our tools, guidebooks and software and download for free.

We offer a variety of technologies designed to simulate and model real-world circumstances to assist in energy-saving programs and help building owners build better buildings. These tools can help calculate performance of building systems like windows and shades, help consumers and builders pick the best windows for a variety of applications and much more.

News

Back to The Times: Revisiting The New York Times Headquarters Building Upon Its Completion

October 18, 2007

Employees of The New York Times Company (The Times) began occupying their new headquarters on the west side of Manhattan in mid-2007. Three years before this milestone, The Times's facility team had approached building scientists at Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD), looking for help. They were searching for reliable and affordable technologies, not yet available in... Read more

A Dawning Day for Energy-Efficient Electrochromic Windows

January 5, 2007

To help EC windows realize their potential to save energy in California and throughout the U.S., DOE and the California Energy Commission funded Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division to conduct a three-year field test of EC windows in a realistic office-building setting. This test, along with other tests and computer simulations, was intended to allow the Berkeley Lab... Read more

Switchable Mirrors Win 2004 R&D 100 Award

July 7, 2004

A unique new type of energy-saving window material developed by scientists at the Environmental Energy Technologies Division of Berkeley Lab has been recognized with a 2004 R&D 100 Award. Given by R&D Magazine, the awards have been called "the Oscars of technology." The addition of this winner, and an R&D 100 award won by another Lab division (Materials Sciences for their work on... Read more

Toward a New Generation of Energy-Efficient Windows

April 20, 2004

The race is on to develop the next generation of energy-efficient windows, and it has a new entrant: transition-metal switchable mirrors (TMSMs). TMSMs are glass panels with a coating capable of switching back and forth between a transparent state and a reflective one.... Read more

The New York Times Building: Designing for Energy Efficiency Through Daylighting Research

February 18, 2004

The New York Times Company and Berkeley Lab's EETD have begun a cooperative research project to test new technologies to increase the energy-efficiency of the new building and to improve the indoor environment for the comfort of its occupants.... Read more

Windows of Opportunity: New Facility Not Only Offers Great Views, But Enables Researchers to Develop Energy Efficient Windows

September 17, 2003

The Advanced Window Systems Test Facility was built to test new window technology that will increase energy savings and occupant comfort.... Read more